05/24/2026
In the year 1840 to say the world was different from today would be a massive understatement. It was 21 years before the Civil War was fought, America was composed of only 26 states, Texas was its own republic and pretty much everything west of Missouri was still unorganized territory. The entire population of America was barely larger than the current population of the state of North Carolina. Cotton was the primary source of income and the railroad system had just begun. Martin Van Burean was our 8th President. The country didn’t have electricity, cars or telephones and the nearest thing to social media was the “penny press” that allowed for wealthy people to get a newspaper for the unbelievable cost of 1 penny! But during 1840 the country was at the peak of the 2nd great awakening. That peak led to many revivals in what today would be considered old-timey camp meetings. It was during this time that a group of people in western rural North Carolina saw fit to start a Baptist church under the name of Mount Vernon! Today, May 24th 2026, 186 years later Mount Vernon is still proclaiming the Gospel and I’m honored to have spent the last 16 years standing in its pulpit. No one in 1840 could have imagined what the world, nor Mount Vernon, would look like today, but yet here we are! And although much has changed, much will continue to change, but the Gospel never will! If the Lord is patient in His return may we all strive to see that Mount Vernon continues to be a staple of biblical faithfulness to our community and beyond. As the Psalmist said, “Not to us O’Lord, not to us, but to your name be glory because of your love and faithfulness!” Here’s to another 186 years…
-Sincerely Your Preacher,
Jeremy Mahaffey (Romans 8:1)
